Secrets Best Left Buried
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Soap opera queen Regina Mills' life turns upside down when her former lover and co-star Robin Hood (whom she had written off their show for mysterious reasons several years before) is brought back to the show to once again be her love interest thanks to behind the scenes wrangling by her rival Zelena, who wants a piece of Regina's popularity for herself. OQ, Tink x Regina brotp.
1. Shake Things Up

**Disclaimer: only the plot belongs to me!**

"Here we are!" Tessa 'Tink' Bell, writer on the Storybrooke soap opera _True Love's Kiss_ ran into the dressing room of the star of the show, and her best friend, Regina Mills. "The nominees for the awards have come out. I have no doubt that you'll be nominated for best actress. Not only that, but I think you'll win, too!"

"Of course I will," Regina smiled and looked at the list of nominees. "I always do, don't I? Now I have to work on my speech so that I sound surprised and humble when they announce my name. You write. Will you help me?"

"Sure," Tink nodded. "Don't I always?" She pulled the pen out of her bun and grabbed some paper out of her bag. "What do you want to say?"

Regina crossed one leg over the other and smoothed her long red skirt. "It should go without saying that I'm honored to win the award. Should I say I'm surprised to win too, or would that sound stupid?"

"I would stay away from that if I were you," Tink advised, chewing on the end of the pen and then writing. "You should probably acknowledge your fellow cast members too. It wouldn't hurt."

"But why?" Regina asked. " _I'm_ the one getting the award, not them!"

"True," Tink agreed. "But without their hard work, you wouldn't be able to do the best you do, right? Plus, no one on the show gets as much attention as you do, so it might be nice to share the wealth."

"Oh, all right," Regina nodded. "If you think that will be best, go ahead and write that."

"Good," Tink nodded. "And if you come up with any other ideas, just tell me."

* * *

Elsewhere, not everyone else was as excited about Regina's award nomination as she and Tink were.

" _Again_?" Cried her co-star and self-appointed rival, the beautiful and tempestuous redhead known only as Zelena as she tore up the paper that listed the nominees. "Why does _she_ always recognized? I do work on this show too! Where's _my_ recognition?" She then let out a growl and stormed into the producer's office. "Look at this!" She cried angrily and threw it down on his desk. "Just look at it! What do you see?"

He pushed his glasses up his nose and peered at her for a few seconds before picking up the list and grinning. "Looks like Regina got nominated for best actress again. It's almost becoming a tradition, isn't it?" He cocked his head. "What's the problem?"

"The _problem_ is that it's become a tradition!" Zelena cried. "I demand better storytelling! Surely the audience wants something a little different by now. I get letters demanding I be given more screen time and a better story. Make that happen!"

"You know I would love to," The producer replied. "But I don't think the guys upstairs will go for it. Regina is so popular with the audience."

"Well, that's because you keep having her do things that make her likable," Zelena pointed out. "If you just had her do something horrible, I'm sure they would turn against her, and that would be the perfect time to bring me in." She smiled and took the man's face in her hands. "I promise that if you do this for me, I'll make it worth your while."

The man let out a laugh. Truth be told, he'd always wanted something like this to happen because he found Zelena very beautiful, and, like her, wished that she'd had more to do in the show because she had the talent, much more than Regina, in his opinion. "All right," he promised. "And if we can't make people hate her by giving her a bad plot, we can always make a plot that will cause her to want to leave."

"Oh?" Zelena raised an eyebrow as a slow grin spread over her face. "Interesting. Go on."

"Well, you know we're ending the relationship between her and Graham soon, don't you?" The writer asked.

"Of course," Zelena nodded and sat down on his desk. "Everyone knows that. What about it?"

"She'll need a new love interest, won't she?" the writer continued.

"Yes, but how will this help _me?_ " Zelena asked and crossed her arms. "Remember that the point of this conversation is to help _me_ and not her."

"I know, but just stick with me," the producer said. "You know Regina's been on the soap a long time. About twenty years ago, she had as a love interest a man named Robin Hood. They were the most popular couple on the show, but then something happened that made things end badly between them and she ordered him written off the show."

" _Did_ she?" Zelena asked. "What's he doing now? Is he still acting?"

"Oh, yes," the producer nodded. "It's very sad, though. He's been reduced to doing dinner theater."

"Well, let's save him, shall we?" Zelena smiled. "Give Regina a bit of a surprise."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," the producer replied and then, as Zelena sashayed out of the office, made a call to the producers to tell them about the plan.

* * *

" _What?_ " Tink cried when she heard that the network wanted to bring Robin back to the show. "But he hasn't been on the show in twenty years! And for god's sake, you can't bring him back! Aside from the issues this will create for Regina, he died by being decapitated! Tell me how I'm supposed to write for a guy that doesn't have a head!"

"You're a creative writer," her boss, Rumplestiltskin, pointed out. "Create a way to bring him back or I'll create a way to have you fired!"

"Fine," Tink sighed. "But Regina won't like this. I've written every word that woman's ever uttered and she'll probably blame me."

"But you made the right choice, picking your job over your friend," Rumple told her. "I promise. The ratings that will come from reuniting Regina with Mr. Hood are just too good to pass up."

Tink just shook her head. She couldn't tell Regina about this. Not yet. Let her enjoy awards season and then, when it was all over, _that_ was when Regina would know. But not before. It was for the best. It really was.

* * *

The awards turned out just as they suspected. Regina won and gave the speech she and Tink had written, although her cast mates didn't seem placated by her acknowledgement of their hand in her success, and muttered unflattering things under their breaths throughout Regina's speech.

When Regina returned to the table, Tink was the only one who was outwardly happy for her. "I'm so proud of you," she told her.

"Thanks," Regina smiled and lovingly gazed down at her award. "I'm so happy that I don't even care that I had to come without Graham tonight. Thanks for taking his place so that I didn't have to come alone."

"No problem," Tink smiled and took her hand. "You know I'm always here for you."

Then, when they got to Regina's house, Tink was all prepared to tell her about her next plot with Robin, but Regina asked her to pause for a moment when she saw the blinking light on her answering machine.

"Let me see what the message is first," she requested with a smile. "It's probably someone calling to congratulate me on my award."

"All right," Tink nodded. "I'll wait."

Still smiling, Regina pressed the button, but when she heard the message, her face fell. "Hi, Regina. It's Graham. I know this is probably a really bad time to tell you this since it's award night and all, but I…I've decided that I need to go home to my wife. We've had our fun, but I just can't live a lie anymore. I hope you understand that, and that we can continue to have a professional relationship. I'll always love you. Goodbye."

"Did you hear that?" Regina snapped angrily as she turned around to face Tink. "A message on the machine! He wasn't even man enough to face me directly!"

"Oh, don't mind him," Tink tried to tell her. "He doesn't deserve you."

"Exactly," Regina nodded. "I don't need him. I can have any man I want." She tried to stay resolute, but then felt herself crumble as Tink took her into her arms. "Tink, what's wrong with me that would make Graham want to go home to his wife? Am I unattractive? It's cause I'm getting old, isn't it? I know I'm not as young as I used to be, but I can still turn heads, can't I?"

"Of course you can," Tink told her. "In fact, let's go to the mall and prove it."

"No," Regina shook her head. "I can't…I can't do that. It's a crutch."

"Are you sure?" Tink asked.

"Oh, all right," Regina sighed. "But this is the absolute _last_ time."

"That's the spirit," Tink told her. They headed to the mall and as they rode up the escalator, Tink, who was a few steps above Regina, suddenly turned around and gasped. "Oh, my god!" She cried as she looked at Regina and smiled. "I recognize you! Aren't you that actress on the soap opera? You're so pretty and talented! Can I have your autograph?" She yelled it very loudly and soon, several people were swarming around Regina, singing her praises and asking for autographs and one even asked her to hold her baby while Tink stepped back and smiled at the way Regina reveled in the crowd's attention. This was her element there was no doubt about it. The look on her face alone gave that away.

* * *

Meanwhile, the producer and Zelena had managed to locate the dinner theater where Robin was playing the lead in _Death of a Salesman_ three times a day for an elderly crowd that could mostly neither see nor hear him and had more on their minds than what he was saying.

The only time he was ever happy was when he was alone in his dressing room. But even that had its negative side, especially when the soap opera digest had come out that had the story in it about Regina's win. He hadn't even read the story, just pinned the of the magazine on his wall and then he'd gone out and bought a dart set, making up a game where he got a bulls-eye if the dart landed in Regina's eyeball.

"It's so nice to see that you're successful," he grunted as he hefted a dart, missing her eye, but getting it on the tip of her nose. These things were so much harder to throw than arrows. "I bet you never think of me. Of how you betrayed me and made me be stuck here performing to a bunch of old people eating meatloaf! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

A knock on the door threw off his aim and the dart landed in the wall next to the picture. "Who is it?" He called.

"It's Isaac Fisher from _True Love's Kiss,_ " the producer called. "You remember that show, right?"

"Of course," Robin said dryly as he went and opened the door to let Isaac and Zelena in. "It's the show I was so unceremoniously kicked off of twenty years ago. What do you want?"

"We want to give you the opportunity to come back," Patrick told him.

"Yeah," Zelena smiled. "Regina has just been going on and on about how much she misses you."

"Well, I doubt that," Robin said. "But I suppose it would be amusing to see the look on her face when I showed up again. Do you have a script in mind? Or at least how my character is alive again after being decapitated?"

"Yes," Zelena replied and handed him the script. "We do. Go ahead and read."

"No, I don't need to," Robin smiled, putting his hands on his knees and standing up. "An excuse to get out of here is just what I need."

Then there was a knock on the door. "You're needed on stage in five minutes, Mr. Lohman," drawled the stage manager's voice.

"Hood!" Robin called. "For the five thousandth time, my name is Robin Hood!" He turned to Zelena and Isaac. "Quick," he said. "Let's go out the back door. It's faster that way."


	2. The World Comes Crashing Down

A/N: Regina and Zelena are not sisters in this fiction.

Robin was set up in a hotel near the studio while the plots for the soap went on until it was time to introduce his character. And because they knew Regina would protest, they did everything they could to keep the fact that he was actually returning from her until his first day of shooting, when Regina first got wind of the "mysterious man" her character would be falling in love with.

"What the hell is this?" Regina asked Tink as she held the rolled up script in her hand and batted it against her hand a few times. "What is this mysterious man crap all of a sudden? Can't you tell me?"

"No," Tink told her firmly. "It wouldn't be all that mysterious if I told you, now would it?"

"Well, true, but I'm an actress," Regina pointed out, ignoring the wardrobe lady who was shuffling behind her. "I can still be surprised even if I already know what the big surprise is."

"No," Tink repeated. "Ordinarily, I would be more than happy to tell you, but the higher ups say this really has to be a secret so that the plot can have a maximum effect." She paused and looked at Regina's outfit. "What in the world are you wearing? Is that a turban?"

"Of course it's a turban!" Regina said. "Damn it, can you believe they put me in a turban? It's like I'm seventy or something! Do I look seventy? Why don't they just stick me in a damn walker for god's sake! That'll complete the effect!"

"I think it might be best if you don't put her in turbans anymore," Tink told the costume lady, who seemed very scared of Regina and muttered repeated apologies for her mistake. Regina then strode out of the room, and by the time she ran into Zelena, she'd pulled the turban off and ground it under her heel for a bit before throwing it in a trash can.

"What do _you_ want?" She asked, hating her co-star's knowing smirk.

"Oh, nothing," Zelena grinned. "I just wondered if you've read the latest script where you meet with the mysterious man."

"Of course I have!" Regina replied. "We shoot it today, why wouldn't I? I just wish I knew more. Tink wouldn't tell me."

"What a shame," Zelena chuckled. "Because _I_ know who it is!"

"You do?" Regina asked, her voice rising. "Who is it? You tell me right now!"

"Oh, no," Zelena chuckled, enjoying the power she had over her adversary for once. "Your friend Tink was right. You'll have to wait and find out just like everyone else."

Regina was full of even _more_ dread as she sank into one of the sofas and waited for the scene to be set up. If Zelena was in favor of whatever was going on, it surely didn't mean good things for _her._

The scene went on and on and as she spoke her lines, Regina began to relax. It was probably nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. Whatever it was, she could handle it.

But then the mysterious man appeared and took her in his arms. Even though his face was obscured, there was no mistaking the body that was pressed against hers and the voice that whispered in her ear as his lips nibbled her earlobe.

"Oh, my god!" She said and kneed him in the groin, which caused the director to yell 'Cut'. "No wonder no one warned me about this. They knew I would run for it!"

Robin managed to get to his feet and glare at her. "Lovely to see you too, Regina. Such a kind greeting from a woman revered as television's sweetheart!"

"Don't you try and sweet talk me!" Regina told him. "It's too early in the day."

"Right," Robin nodded. "I'm sure you haven't had enough to drink yet."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina asked him. "Did you beg your way into getting a job? How pathetic are you?"

"I didn't have to beg for a job," Robin told her. "I was hired. They said they had a plot for me cause they needed to raise ratings. Apparently, you're not the draw you once were."

"Oh, yes I am!" Regina cried. "You have no idea how much I am! And I don't need you or anyone else! That's for sure!" She strode off and locked herself in her dressing room while Zelena brought Robin a drink.

"Welcome back," she told him, trying not to laugh. "That wasn't exactly the sort of greeting you deserved, was it?"

"No, but for whatever reason, it was the greeting I expected," He replied and began his awkward walk back to the sofa to rest until they could coax Regina out of her dressing room and re-do the scene.

* * *

"You knew about this, didn't you?" Regina asked Tink at the end of the day. "You knew they were bringing Robin back and you didn't tell me!"

"Hey, I know you're upset," Tink told her as they sat in Regina's apartment. "And I tried to talk them out of it because I know you have issues with him, but they said it would be good for the ratings and if I didn't want to get fired, I'd have to write him in. Would you please explain why you hate him so much? It would help me understand what you have against such a nice man."

"Oh, he is _not_ a nice man!" Regina shook her head. "He ruined my life!"

"Why?" Tink repeated.

"I can't tell you," Regina shook her head. "I promised myself when it happened that it would be something I took to my grave. You wouldn't understand. It was just a mistake that has no relevance to anything whatsoever."

"Fine," Tink sighed. "I'll leave it alone."

"Thank you," Regina told her. "I swear, it's better that way."

So they sat in Regina's dressing room in awkward silence, with Tink knowing that if she could just figure out what the hell Regina's problem was with Robin, it would solve everything.

* * *

Since she knew that she wouldn't get anything out of Regina, the next day, Tink tried to get information out of Robin.

"Sorry to tell you this, but I have no idea what's going on with her," Robin shrugged. "Believe me, if I knew, things would be a whole lot better. All I know is that one night we're having a picnic in the park to celebrate the fact that we were being renewed for another season, we cracked open a bottle of champagne, then the next thing I know, she's not speaking to me and has me kicked off the show. I was actually going to ask if she told _you_ anything, but apparently, you're just as clueless as I am." She paused. "But whatever it was…you didn't hurt her, did you? I mean, you didn't cheat on her or anything?"

"No," Robin shook his head. "Of course not! I wouldn't have done that when she was a mentally stable person. But something happened to make her crazy and now…now I think she needs some serious help."

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Tink replied. "It's been awhile since she's seen Doctor Hopper. I'll make her an appointment for tomorrow."

"I don't need to see Doctor Hopper!" Regina said irritably from the backseat of Tink's car. "Nothing is wrong with me!"

"You beat Robin up and there's something you're hiding from me," Tink told her. "Something not good. Talking to someone to get your feelings out is a good thing."

"Fine," Regina sighed. "But I'm only doing this to humor you. For the thousandth time, I don't need to see my therapist."

* * *

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Doctor Hopper said to her as Regina and Tink sat on his couch, their hands clasped tightly together. It wasn't normal procedure for there to be anyone but doctor and patient in the room, but he had discovered over the years that Regina tended to be more emotionally open in the presence of her friend, and because of that fact, Tink had become a very important part of Regina's mental health team. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Regina said. "I'm only here because I don't have to shoot today and needed something to do with myself."

"Is that really the _only_ reason why you're here?" Doctor Hopper asked. "Cause I heard that you had some sort of breakdown on set yesterday."

"Well, that wasn't my fault!" Regina protested. "They brought Robin back onto the show! He was supposed to be dead and they brought him back and I didn't know until we started shooting! It was a terrible shock, so how did people _expect_ me to act?"

"Robin," Doctor Hopper said and made a bunch of notes. "Is this the same Robin who you claim ruined your life?"

"It is," Regina nodded. "And you know why. Can you blame me for acting the way I did?"

"You know we've discussed about how these over dramatic reactions to unpleasant situations or people that you'd rather not deal with don't help anything, right?" Doctor Hopper asked her. "Do you remember that, Regina?"

"Yes," Regina huffed irritably. "So what would you rather I do? Be nice to him?"

"Or civil, anyway," Doctor Hopper nodded. "It would really help too, I think, if you told him why you ended your relationship so suddenly."

"No," Regina shook her head. "That's none of his business. The only people who should know about that are you and me because of doctor-patient confidentiality."

"Fine," Doctor Hopper sighed. "But I think the reason why you're so mad at him is because of that."

"Of course it's because of that!" Regina snapped. She then put a hand on her head. "I don't want to talk anymore. This conversation is beginning to give me a headache. Just give me some pills or something and I'll be on my way."

"All right," Doctor Hopper told her. He handed Tink the usual prescription that he wrote for her (which was actually for sugar pills) and then they left, but not before Tink scheduled another appointment for her.

* * *

"Do we have time to go to the spa?" Regina asked as they left the doctor's office. "I want to go to the spa. I deserve it after being interrogated like that. Who does he think he is asking me such personal questions?"

"He's your therapist," Tink reminded her. "He has to be personal if he's going to help you. And I would love to go to the spa with you, but I have to get back to the writing room. They let me out to take you to your appointment, but who knows what they'll have you doing on the show if I'm not there soon?"

"That's right," Regina nodded. "You have a point."

"Just take care of yourself," Tink urged. "Stay in your apartment, try not to think about Robin, and I'll come over tonight and we'll talk, all right?"

"Thank you," Regina told her as Tink called for a taxi and then gave her friend a hug. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome," Tink replied and waved. "See you later." She then walked back to her office while Regina took the taxi back to her apartment and played the messages on her phone. They were mostly all boring, except for the last one:

"Hi, Aunt Regina. It's Sarah. I know you won't be happy to hear this, but…I left home and have decided to come and be an actress! Do you think you can get a job for me on the soap? It doesn't have to be anything big. I'll even get people's coffee. I just wanna act! Oh, and I'm at the hotel now, but…what's your address again? Call me!"

Regina played this message several times. Sarah. Sarah was her niece, a girl she'd supported for the longest time, ever since she was a little girl. Who she'd tried so hard to steer away from acting because she didn't want her anywhere near it. But now, despite her best efforts, here Sarah was. At a hotel somewhere. Alone. Girls with long dark hair and pretty dark eyes shouldn't be in the city alone! Glad for the distraction, she grabbed her keys, strode down to her car, and after calling her niece to make sure she knew exactly where she was, drove down to the hotel to retrieve her.


	3. The Beginning Of The End?

**A/n: Regina and Zelena are** _ **not**_ **siblings in this story.**

"Okay," Regina said as she burst through the door of her niece's hotel room. "Let's talk: Not that I'm not glad to see you, because I am, but what in the world possessed you to leave and come here?"

"Didn't you listen to the message I left you?" Sarah asked. "I want to act! Can you make that happen?"

"Like hell you're gonna act," Regina told her. "What you're gonna do is go back home, finish school, and get a job like a normal person."

"I can't go back to school," Sarah grinned. "I dropped out."

"But…but why?" Regina cried. jer. "You were so close to graduating! Why would you do this to me?"

"What am I doing wrong?" Sarah asked. "I'm twenty. You were sixteen when you first got a job on the soap. I thought you would be thrilled that I'm taking after you!"

"No, no," Regina shook her head and massaged her temples. She was beginning to get a headache. "You don't want to use me as a role model for how to live your life! I'm a complete mess! You should look at what I do and do the complete opposite! Ask my best friend and my therapist and they would tell you the exact same thing! Now, what time do you want me to buy you a plane ticket for so you can get back home and start living a life that lets you actually do something useful for society?"

Her niece trained dark eyes on her that were so much like her own. "Thanks for the advice," she said. "But I'm staying. And nothing you can say or do will change that, so you might as well leave."

"Fine," Regina nodded and reached for the bottle of aspirin that she kept in her purse. "I will. But promise me that you'll take care of yourself, all right?"

"Of course I will," Sarah nodded. "Trust me, okay?"

* * *

"She _what?_ " Tink ask Regina.

"Sarah says she wants to stay here and get job on the soap and asked me to help her do it. I said 'No', of course, but I don't think that's going to stop her. Do you think I did wrong? Do you think I should have said 'Yes'? I really don't. I think that she should be as far away from here as possible. Especially now that you know who is back." She shuddered, trying not to remember the kissing scene that she and Robin had filmed earlier that day.

"Why don't you want her getting to know Robin?" Tink asked. "You don't even like him!"

"And that's exactly why she shouldn't either!" Regina told her, her voice rising shrilly so that it could clearly be heard from the hallway. "He's a thief and a liar and a complete scoundrel! Sarah is not gonna get a job on the show if I can help it!"

Zelena just happened to be opening the door to her own nearby dressing room when Regina shouted this last sentence, and since she wasn't needed on set, quickly ran to Isaac's office to share this latest bit of news.

"Okay, so the whole idea to drive her away by bringing Robin on hasn't exactly worked the way we wanted it to, but I have another idea," she told him. "Regina was telling that writer friend of hers that her niece wants a role on the soap. Did you know she had a niece?"

"Yeah, I knew that," Isaac nodded. "Everyone apparently knows that except you."

"Well, whatever," Zelena shook her head. "We find this girl, get her a role, and then Regina will get so mad that she might leave. In fact, she will if you do your job well enough." She sat on his desk and pulled him to her. "And you know what else will happen if you do your job well enough?"

"I don't know for sure," Isaac chuckled, pleased that the pretty actress was paying attention to him. "But I hope it's what I think it is."

"It is," Zelena nodded and let him glance down at her breasts. "You do this for me. You get this girl a job on the soap so that Regina leaves and I get the starring role and everything I have can be yours. Understand?"

"Yes," Isaac nodded. "But why is this so important to you?"

"Cause I just want to know what it feels like to be popular, all right?" Zelena told him. "You wanna know about my childhood? I didn't have any friends, okay? The neighbor kids were all afraid of me. I wore too much makeup and they all thought I was evil!" She grabbed him and pulled his face against her breast. "But I don't think I was doing anything wrong! It's not a crime to want to be beautiful and loved, is it?"

"No," Isaac shook his head. "It's not! And I…I promise that we'll get you somewhere. After a sad story like that, how can I say no?"

Zelena smiled. "You can't," she said and hopped off his desk then paused by his door to give him a wave. "See you later."

"Bye!" Isaac called, then sat down in his chair, spun it so it was facing away from the door, and did a victory punch as he thought about how close he was to getting a date with the woman of his dreams.

* * *

A few weeks later, Regina had a rare evening at home, and she used it to have a talk with Sarah about life choices.

"Why are we talking about this?" Sarah asked. "I already told you that I wasn't gonna change my mind."

"Not even if you know that going down this path is going to kill me and leave you full of regret?" Regina asked. "Think about that, please?"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't be on the soap that has nothing to do with you or your feelings," Sarah challenged. "Then maybe I'll think about it."

Just then the doorbell rang. Regina went to answer it and groaned as she saw that it was Robin standing on the other side.

"What do you want?" She asked irritably.

"Well, you wouldn't answer my calls and I have something really important that I need to talk to you about," Robin told her. "I don't want to be here much either, so it won't be long, I promise. I'll be in and out in five minutes.

"Where have I heard that before?" Regina spat right before reluctantly letting him inside. "It _better_ be fast. I have company."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Robin smiled as he noticed Sarah. "This must be your niece."

"I'm Sarah," Sarah replied, running over to shake his hand.

He kissed the back of it and she chuckled. "That is so cool," she said.

"Okay, okay," Regina said as she gave him a push. "That's enough. Sit your ass down, tell me what you came to tell me and then go away."

"Fine," Robin nodded. "Have you seen the newest scripts? It seems your character takes a very interesting turn."

Regina went and got her script off the kitchen table. "I got it, but I haven't looked at it yet," she said.

"I figured as much, since you're still so calm," Robin replied. He then sat back and waited for her to read what he knew would be a very upsetting story for her.

"What kind of bullshit is this?" She cried after finishing it and throwing it on the floor. "Robin, what are they trying to do to me?"

"Well, obviously you pissed somebody off somewhere and now they're taking revenge," Robin shrugged. "I always told you to watch that temper of yours cause it would get you into trouble someday. I've told you that for _years._ "

"But they have me killing a homeless person!" Regina cried, "What sort of plot is that? Are they trying to turn everyone against me…oh, shit!" Her eyes narrowed. "Zelena. I bet she's behind this."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Robin nodded. "She doesn't seem like a very stable person, does she?"

"No, she's been trying to take my limelight for _years_ ," Regina sighed. "And now it seems like she's finally getting her way."

"And um…not to add insult to injury here, but…I'm the homeless person you kill," Sarah confessed. It was something she'd been holding inside for a while.

"What?" Regina shook her head. "No! What did I tell you about acting on the soap? That you're not supposed to do it! Damn it, doesn't anyone listen to me anymore? Doesn't what I have to say matter at all?" She went to the liquor cabinet and grabbed a full bottle of wine. "If anyone needs me, me and my friend here will be in the tub."

She strode off, leaving Robin and Sarah alone in the living room.

"She's really something, isn't she?" Robin asked after a long silence.

"How long have you two known each other?" Sarah asked. "Were you always on the soap together? She never talks about you."

"Well, she wouldn't," Robin shook his head. "We parted on bad terms a long time ago and it seems like she has no real desire to get on better ones."

"I'd love to hear about how things used to be on the soap if you'll be willing to tell me," Sarah smiled at him. "We probably shouldn't leave the house since Aunt Regina's drinking in the bathtub, but we can order pizza."

"All right," Robin smiled. This girl had been raised by Regina, it seemed like. Yet, she was so much easier to talk to. "That would be nice. You can pick the flavor. I like all kinds."

"Sure," Sarah nodded. She grabbed the phone and paused. "It was really sweet of you to warn her ahead of time what's in the script."

"It doesn't really seem like it did anyone a favor," Robin replied. "It gave away your secret and now your aunt is drinking in the tub. It seems to have been a bad move all around."

"Well, what it did to Aunt Regina aside, it made it so you and I could meet and I think…I think that alone makes it a good thing," Sarah smiled. She ordered a large cheese and a large pepperoni and then went back to sit with Robin on the sofa. "It should be here in about twenty minutes. Do you think we can wait that long?"

"Yes," Robin replied and put his arm around her. "I think we can find some time to occupy ourselves until then."

It was this scene that Regina stumbled upon half an hour later.

"You bastard!" She yelled at Robin, hitting him with a pillow, her words slurring as she spoke. "You bastard, get away from her!"

"Wait a minute!" Sarah cried as she got between Regina and Robin. "What the hell is wrong with you? Go to bed and sleep off what you've been drinking and we'll save you some pizza, all right?"

"Fine," Regina huffed, but grabbed a small vase to hurl at Robin's head before heading back to her bedroom.

"My god," Sarah cried. "I've never seen her like this before."

"I have," Robin replied. "And now that she's up, may I suggest that we take our pizza and eat it somewhere else? Would that bother you?"

"No," Sarah shook her head. "Hello, no. Let's do it. Cause while you and I might get along, there just seems to be something about you that brings out the worst in my aunt. Any idea what that is?"

"I couldn't tell you," Robin replied, still stunned by Regina's venomous attitude toward him. "I honestly have no idea."


	4. Another Big Secret

Since their bonding seemed to put Regina in such a bad mood, Sarah and Robin made a mutual decision to keep their distance around her except for when absolutely necessary (like when they were on set), and meet places other than Regina's to hang out.

"I hope you're all right with us going to a bar," Robin told her apologetically as they drove there. "My friend Will is meeting us there and bars are like second homes for him."

"I don't mind," Sarah assured him. "That's all right with me. I'm in college-or at least I was-so bars are nothing new."

"Good," Robin nodded. "Good."

They found the bar and parked in the parking lot with Robin taking Sarah's hand so they could ease into the very narrow doorway.

When they got inside, it didn't take long to find Will, who was seated at a table by the door. His dark eyes were bright and his smile was sincere as he approached his friend and the girl he'd never seen before. "Hello, Robin," he said. "Who's your pretty friend?"

"I'm Sarah," she replied with a smile, and then let out a small laugh as he kissed her hand. "And I'm not _that_ pretty."

Will smiled. "You think so? Well, I beg to differ. Can I get you a drink?"

"Sure," Sarah nodded.

"Don't have too many though," Robin told her. "Actually, you probably shouldn't have more than one. Your aunt would smell the alcohol on your breath and she'd probably blame me."

"I thought we weren't going to be speaking of Aunt Regina on this outing," Sarah reminded him. "Just get me whatever the two of you are getting. There's an available space at the pool table and I'm gonna go rob from the rich and give to myself while we wait."

Will chuckled as she walked away. "That sounds like what you used to say on the soap. Do you think she knows that?"

"Of course," Robin nodded and then called the waiter over to give him their drink order. "Regina loves watching herself so I bet Sarah knows all the plots and lines by heart."

"She doesn't really _seem_ a lot like Regina," Will continued.

"Why would she?" Robin wanted to know. "Regina's her aunt, not her mother. There's no reason for them to be a lot alike."

"True, but they still spend a lot of time together, don't they?" Will pointed out. "I would have thought they would rub off on each other."

"I wish," Robin sighed. "Regina could use some of Sarah's good sense."

When Robin called Sarah to come drink her drink, he couldn't help but be amused that she was tucking a good sized wad of bills into a fanny pack tied around her waist. "You had perfect timing," she smiled and sat down. "I really cleaned up."

"How did you get so good at that?" Robin asked. "I'm sure your aunt wouldn't make you need to do something like steal from people to get through life."

"Oh, that's true," Sarah nodded. "She always takes care of me, you know. I don't hustle pool because of that. I just need something that I know she wouldn't approve of me spending her money on, so that's what I use my pool money for."

"And when you say 'thing she wouldn't approve of' what are you talking about?" Robin asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Sarah asked suspiciously after pausing counting her money. "You're not gonna tell her, are you?"

"No," Robin shook his head. "I won't, I promise. It'll be just between us."

"Well, when I came down here, I knew I wouldn't be able to live with Aunt Regina forever, right? So I found this nice little house that I want, but it's in what she would call a 'risky neighborhood'," Sarah explained. "And if she thinks I'm gonna be murdered or robbed (which she probably would if she saw the place, even though it's _not_ true) she wouldn't pay for it."

Although Robin felt sympathy for Sarah's predicament, he also felt something like fatherly affection for the girl and didn't want her to be in a situation where she would be hurt or robbed if she didn't have to be either. This was why he said, "I know you just want to be allowed to do this without protest, but I think you would be less likely to be scolded by your aunt if someone she trusted could see place you're planning to buy and could tell her for sure that you'd be safe."

"I suppose," Sarah nodded. "Are you volunteering?"

"Yes," Robin nodded as Sarah drank her drink. "Yes, I am."

"And I want to come too," Will added.

"You do?" Robin asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Cause I hardly ever see you anymore," Will told him. "Is it wrong to want to spend time with my best friend? You don't even have to tell Regina I was with you."

"Of course we won't," Sarah said resolutely. "We won't tell her a thing about anything until it's all sorted out and legit and she can't do a thing about it."

"Indeed," Robin nodded, even though part of him felt bad about deceiving Regina that way. But surely once she saw what was going on and they explained why Sarah needed her own place, Regina would understand. She had to.

* * *

"What's the matter with you?" Tink asked as Regina finished her scene and went to meet her on the sidelines. "I've never seen you so twitchy and nervous and you _never_ flubbed that many lines. You're not still upset about Robin being here, are you? Cause I thought you would be used to him by now."

"Oh, I'm upset about him being here, all right," Regina replied and pulled a cigarette from her purse along with a match to light it. "But now it's for a different reason?"

"Stop that!" Tink cried and snatched the cigarette away. "Why are you smoking? You never smoke!"

"Well, I'm starting!" Regina replied. "How else am I supposed to deal with the fact that Robin is nosing around Sarah? I think he likes her! They went out for drinks the other day and whenever I see them talking together now, they pause for a moment, look at me suspiciously, and then move to talk somewhere else!"

"So?" Tink asked as they walked away from set. "What's the problem? Sarah's a big girl. She can handle him. I thought you didn't like Robin anymore."

"I don't!" Regina said quickly. "I hate him!"

"That's not what it seems like," Tink said. "If I didn't know better, I would say that you're jealous of what's going on with him and Sarah."

" _Nothing_ is going on between him and Sarah!" Regina said harshly. "Not if I can help it!"

* * *

"Tell me again why I have to see your therapist?" Sarah asked Regina in a tired voice as Regina drove her to see Archie. "I'm fine!"

"I'm not sure about that," Regina replied. "Something is going on with you and Robin and clearly you don't feel like you can tell _me_ about it, so I thought it would be easier for you to talk to Dr. Hopper."

"But you know you can't ask him what I said afterward, right?" Sarah told her. "That would violate doctor-patient privilege. And besides, it's nothing troubling. I should be allowed to have my secrets as long as they don't endanger me or anyone else."

"That's what I thought when I was younger," Regina replied. "But now I wish passionately that I would have had someone to talk me out of making the bad choices I made. I'm doing you a favor."

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Sarah asked, leaning her forehead against the window.

"No," Regina shook her head. "Just humor me, would you?"

So Sarah followed Regina into Archie's office and sat down to wait while Regina told the receptionist that she was here for an appointment. Then, when her name was called, both Sarah and Regina followed Archie to the room where he and Regina usually talked, but Sarah paused at the door.

"I hope you don't mind, Aunt Regina," she said. "But I want to go in there by myself, okay?"

"Can she do that?" Regina asked Archie. She was so used to not having therapy alone that it hadn't occurred to her that she wouldn't be let in while Sarah had her session.

"Yes, she can," he replied. "If she wants to talk to me alone, you'll have to stay in the waiting room."

"But if I tell him anything troubling like stuff about drugs or drinking or whatever, then I give him permission to tell you about it," Sarah said, hoping that would mollify Regina enough to make her go away.

Regina hesitated for a moment, then turned on her heel and headed back to the waiting room, thoughts of what Sarah could possibly be telling the doctor going through her mind.

Meanwhile, Archie began his talk with Sarah. "So…why are you here?"

"Cause Aunt Regina wanted me to come," Sarah got out. "See, I'm saving up to buy a house and Robin Hood, you know, Aunt Regina's co-worker, is helping me move in and stuff cause it's in an area that I know Aunt Regina wouldn't approve of, and…what?" Archie's face had changed when she'd said Robin's name and what they were doing and she was curious to know why.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Robin Hood's the one helping you with the apartment, you say?"

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "Is that bad? Are you against it like Aunt Regina would be?"

"No," Archie shook his head. "I think it's very interesting, though." He paused. "And while I wouldn't ordinarily advocate lying, I think in this case, it might be best, at least for now, until you're settled in. And I don't think you could have picked a better person to help you."

"I know, right?" Sarah smiled. "I think he's really nice. I don't know what Aunt Regina's problem with him is."

" _I_ do," Archie told her. "And I really wish I could tell you because you deserve to know. But it'll have to be something your aunt tells you on her own time."

"I understand," Sarah nodded. "Doctor-patient privilege. So will you tell Aunt Regina she's got nothing to worry about when it comes to me?"

"Yes," Archie nodded. "It will probably just make her more curious, but I will."

* * *

"So…did you and Dr. Hopper have a nice talk?" Regina asked on ride home.

"Yes, we did," Sarah nodded. "And since he didn't tell you anything, you can rest assured that I'm not doing anything dangerous."

"Oh, I didn't think you were, but I'm still a bit concerned," Regina told her. "For your own sake, I want to know what you and Robin are up to."

"Fine, I'll make you a deal," Sarah told her. "I'll tell you what _I'm_ doing with Robin if _you_ tell me the big secret you have that only Doctor Hopper knows. He said it involves me and I have the right to know. So tell me."

Regina lapsed into silence and gripped the steering wheel tighter and tighter until her knuckles turned white, and then an uneasy smile curved her lips. "You know, as long as what's going on between the two of you isn't dangerous, I'll trust you. I need to work on that. That's what Doctor Hopper is always saying I need to work on." She was silent after that and then went to her room again when they reached the apartment, leaving Sarah to watch TV in the living room.


	5. Nothing To Talk About

**A/n: This is a special birthday chapter for my Tumblr bestie Myst-I-vie! And I would also like to thank everyone who reviews this story anonymously and let you all know how much you're appreciated, even if I can't thank you personally. :)  
**

"All right," Sarah grinned as she signed the lease with a flourish. "There's the form. Do I own the place now? Or is it mine in some way?"

The landlord, a skinny tan man in a Hawaiian shirt with greased back black hair looked over the form, moved the cigarette to the other side of his mouth, and nodded. "Yep, kid," he told her and shook her hand. "The place is yours. Congratulations." He strode off and shut the door behind him and then Robin entered.

"It's mine now!" She smiled and hugged him. "I own this place! I don't have to live with Aunt Regina anymore!"

"That's great!" Robin replied, holding her at arms' length so he could smile down at her. "Now that you're a home owner, when is it that you're planning on telling her?"

"Do we have to?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, of course," Robin nodded. "I think that she would notice eventually that you were gone."

"True, but that will take some time, won't it?" Sarah wanted to know. "Or how about _you_ tell her? She's susceptible to your handsomeness, right?"

"She was a long time ago, but I'm not so sure about now," Robin replied.

"Can't you just try?" Sarah begged. "For me? Please?"

"All right, I'll try," Robin promised. "But no guarantees."

"Fine," Sarah shrugged and sat down on her sofa, crossing her ankles on the coffee table. "If you try and you fail, I'll just have to think of something else."

* * *

The next day, Robin tried to do as he promised Sarah and find time to talk to Regina alone, but it was hard because when they weren't doing their scenes together, she was locked in her dressing room and refusing to talk to him.

"All right," he said to Tink. "What terrible thing have I done now?"

"She's mad that you're helping Sarah turn against her," Tink replied. "You and she are up to something and haven't told Regina about it."

"Well, that's because it's something very important to Sarah, and if Regina found out, she might get in the way," Robin replied. "Sarah found an apartment that she wanted to live in that doesn't exactly meet Regina's ridiculously high standards. But I've had a look and I know for a fact that it's perfectly safe. That's all. I swear."

"Are you sure?" Tink asked. "No lies now? Because I hate lying to her."

"No, that's the truth," Robin insisted. "I promise."

"I'll tell her," Tink said. "And once she hears, she might talk to you. Good luck!"

After this, Robin was eager to know Regina's thoughts, but she was so busy shooting her scenes with Sarah. Though the original plan had been to use Sarah's homeless character's murder as a plot device to turn the audience against Regina, Regina and Sarah had such excellent chemistry that the plot had changed so that Regina's character, Maggie, had taken her in off the streets and given her a new start at life as her adopted daughter.

"This is so amazing," Sarah's character Emily said as she walked around the set that was supposed to be Maggie's foyer. "I…all my life, when I didn't have a pillow for my head and had to sleep on a park bench, I dreamed of living in a place like this. But now I can. Thank you so much!"

"Well, I did try and kill you," Maggie got out. "So taking you in is the least I could do, isn't it?" She called the maid to make up Emily's room and then the girl tucked herself in and reveled in her good fortune.

"Cut!" The director called.

Sarah threw the sheets off, and sat up. "Was that okay? Do I need to do it again?"

"No, actually," the director told her. "You're very good at memorizing lines. Some people it takes twenty takes or more. The fact that the most it takes for you is three is quite remarkable."

"Yeah," Regina replied, coming to sit next to her on the bed. "It really is. I have to say…I was nervous about you taking a job here because I didn't think you could handle it. I thought it would affect you badly and you'd turn into a big wreck like me, but clearly, you have some very calming genetics in there somewhere."

This was when Robin came upon them. Regina seemed to be in an easy-going mood, so it was now or never. "Can we talk?" He asked, taking a spot between Regina and Sarah.

"Fine, if we have to," Regina replied. "Not on a bed though. It's too…not on a bed."

"All right, fine," Robin nodded. "We can talk standing up. I don't mind."

"Well, I guess I'm just glad you finally want to talk to me at all," Regina shot back. "You two have been very secretive lately. "What are you hiding?"

"Sarah got a new apartment," Robin said. "She signed the lease the other day."

"When were you planning on telling me this?" Regina asked her niece. "Were you just gonna keep it a secret from me forever?"

"No," Sarah shook her head quickly. "Only until the lease was finalized and you couldn't order me to come back and live with you because I didn't have anywhere else to go."

"Why would you keep this from me?" Regina asked her. "I have no problem with you getting a place of your own. Sure I would be a bit lonely, but you're an adult. If you want independence, I can't stop you. Well, I could, but you'd probably hate me afterward and I don't want that. Is where you live a nice place? Is it safe? Do I have to worry about you getting robbed or hurt at night?"

"I can't stop you from worrying, and that's very touching," Sarah replied. "And though it might not be as fancy as something you would pick, it's safe enough that the chances of something bad happening to me if I take the right precautions are very remote."

"Yes, plus my friend Will and I are going to teach her how to protect herself," Robin added. "She'll be fine, Regina. Have a little faith in her."

"Oh, I do," Regina smiled. "It's just that…you're all I have since your mother died and I don't want to lose you."

"Well, I don't want to lose you either," Sarah replied. "And if it makes you feel better, you wanna come and see my place tonight? It has an extra bedroom for you to stay sometimes if you want."

"Really?" Regina hugged her. "That's so sweet of you. Of course I want to see it."

"Good," Sarah said. "Maybe you can give me decorating tips too. You have a much better design sense than I do."

"Sure," Regina agreed. "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

"Oh!" Regina exclaimed in surprise when she knocked on Sarah's apartment door and Robin was the one who answered it. "I wasn't expecting you. I was expecting Sarah."

"I know you were," Robin replied, kissing her hand as he pulled her inside. "But she had to do something at the last minute, so…I hope you don't mind that it's me giving you the tour?"

"No," Regina scoffed. "I can stand to be in the same room as you. Go ahead and talk."

So he showed her around the apartment, which was small (by Regina's standards) and clean. She decided she would look forward to helping Sarah decorate it. Maybe Art Deco with lots of black and red, and some Chinese antiques.

When they got to the guest bedroom, Regina gasped. A table was set up in the empty floor space with dinner for two, including wine.

"That…that's not for us, is it?" She asked nervously and made her way toward the door.

"Yes," Robin nodded. "I thought we could have a nice dinner. Although we are in a bedroom, my intentions are honorable." He paused. "Though depending on your mood, they may become less honorable as the evening goes on, but whatever you want."

"I'll tell you what I want," Regina said firmly. "I want to have dinner and then go home. That's what I want. We have early shooting tomorrow and I want to be well-rested."

"All right," Robin nodded. "That's fine with me."

"You want some wine?" Regina asked him. He nodded and she filled both their glasses before digging into her pasta. "This is really good," she said about her linguine with clams. "Did you pick this out? This is one of my favorite things!"

"I remembered that, actually," Robin smiled. "And this was actually a joint effort between Sarah, your friend Tink, and myself. I thought we should have some time to talk after everything that's happened."

"Yes," Regina nodded and cleared her throat. "I suppose we should. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was going to leave that up to you," Robin told her. "Anything you want to tell me? Any burdens you've been carrying that you'd like to get off your chest?"

"No." Regina shook her head. "Not really, but it was nice of you to offer." She thought that those words would get him to change the subject, but he kept pushing and pushing and finally, Regina did the one thing she knew would shut his mouth: she kissed him. Then she kissed him again. And he put his arms around her and pulled her close, his hands moving down her body as he hiked up the skirt of her red dress and backed her up so they fell onto the mattress of the guest bed.

Then he pulled away. "Should we do this, Regina?" He whispered. "Should we? Or will you push me away again?"

"If my choices are either this or talking to you about all my secrets, I think you know what the answer is," Regina replied, panting heavily as he nibbled on her neck and then pushed the collar of her dress down so he could plant kisses on the warm skin of her collarbone. Then, clothes went flying and soon, she was holding onto him for dear life as warmth spread through her body and she tried to stay on the bed.

* * *

They woke up the next morning to the sound of Regina's cell phone ringing on the bedside table. "Huh, what?" Regina asked sleepily when she answered the call.

"Where the heck are you?" Cried Sarah's voice. "You were supposed to be in hair and makeup an hour ago!"

"Oh, damn!" Regina whispered and then shook Robin awake as she quickly got out of bed, dressed, and looked around for her heels. "We have to go! We're late! I knew this would happen!"

"I didn't," Robin chuckled as he sat up and watched her before coming over and kissing her again. "But I'm glad it did. Aren't you?"

"Yes," Regina sighed. "I was running out of things to say to my therapist and this just opens a whole new can of worms, doesn't it?"

* * *

Meanwhile, another tryst was revealing deep, dark, and unpleasant feelings.

"I'm not happy with you right now," Zelena told Isaac as they made out in his office over lunch. "Do you know _why_ I'm not happy?"

"Um…because Regina is still the star of the show and now Sarah is also taking a starring role so there's nothing for you?" Isaac guessed.

"Exactly!" Zelena nodded. "We did everything right! We brought in a man Regina hated to be her love interest. We made her try and kill a homeless person! And both these things made people love her even more! Damn it! You promised me that we would get somewhere, didn't you? You remember? We were both naked and you promised!"

"No, we weren't!" Isaac shook his head. "I think I would have remembered that."

"Well, we could have been," Zelena replied, eyes narrowed. "But I guess there's no chance for that now, is there? I guess I'll have to take things into my own hands, since clearly you can do nothing but fail."

"What are you going to do?" Isaac asked.

"That's my business," Zelena replied and kissed him one last time. "Not yours."


	6. Shattered Illusions

"Where in the hell have you two been?" Sarah cried as Robin and Regina, looking very rumpled indeed, came to meet her in her dressing room.

"We…we were going over lines and we lost track of time," Robin explained. "I hope we haven't inconvenienced anyone."

"Oh, no," Sarah shook her head. "Everyone was fine with it. Zelena knows all your lines, Aunt Regina, and even volunteered to take your place if you weren't here in five more minutes."

"Well, it's good that you called then," Regina replied, her voice steely as she made her way to makeup and wardrobe. "We can't have that." She snapped at the wardrobe lady to get her into her dress, and then when she and Robin were both ready, they hurried to the set to begin rehearsals.

Things were going along swimmingly until Robin and Sarah began their scene together. Sarah's character had just been in a horrible car accident and was recovering when Robin's character came to visit her with flowers in hand.

"I'm so relieved to know you're all right," he said as he leaned over her hospital bed and stroked her cheek. "When I heard about the crash, I was horrified. But now that I know you're all right, I want to say something to you that I should have said a long time ago: I love you, Celeste, and I think we should get married. Right here, right now." He ran to the door and called out into the hallway, "Nurse Jane, call the hospital clergy! Celeste and I want to get married right away!"

While most other people on the set watched with tears welling up in their eyes (many of them had become so fond of Robin and Sarah's connection that all they could talk about was their characters' wedding,) Regina stood on the sidelines, her cheek twitching and her body tense with rage.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" Tink asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Regina snapped.

Tink stepped away and said, "Well, I knew they would be filming Sarah and Robin's characters' wedding today, and since you have issues with that for some reason, I wanted to be here to lend some moral support. But if you're gonna be all snappy at me, I'll just go."

"No, don't," Regina told her apologetically. I'm sorry." She brought her over next to a sofa and sat down. "Have you ever done something really horrible to your family that has just gnawed away at you for years and won't leave you be?"

"Well, you remember when my sister had kids and she let me name 'em?" Tink questioned. "And I was in the middle of my outer space obsession so I named them Venus and Saturn? That was something they held over my head for more than _ten years_ , and Mom only forgave me like, a week ago. That sort of horrible?"

"No, not that sort of horrible," Regina shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. "The sort of horrible that I would only share with Doctor Hopper. I've hurt Robin and Sarah more than they'll ever know and they have no idea…" Then she saw Robin and Sarah lean in close to kiss and her mood suddenly changed. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, hopped up, and yelled, "No!" Then ran at Robin and jumped on his back, pulling at his hair as some of the extras tried to pull her off.

"What the hell is going on?" Sarah cried and got out of bed even though the director had yet to yell 'Cut!' "Aunt Regina, what in the world is the matter with you?"

"He's kissing you!" Regina cried. "He's kissing you and I hate it! I hate it!"

"Why _shouldn't_ he kiss me?" Sarah asked. "Sure it's a part of the script, but even if it wasn't, it should be allowed. It's not like we're related or anything." She said that and then Regina paused pummeling Robin to give Sarah the most sad, pathetic look she'd ever seen.

"What?" Sarah asked, looking dazed. "Are you trying to tell me…?"

"Yes!" Regina nodded, crying harder now. "You can't kiss him because we're your mommy and daddy!" It took all the energy she had to deliver this stunning announcement so she collapsed on the bed and sobbed for a while before Robin turned her on her back and said, "But when the hell did it happen?"

"Our third date!" Regina sniffed. "Remember? A bottle of Chardonnay and a picnic during Shakespeare in the park? We had a little too much wine and then…then I got pregnant. And I was so young! They made me sign a paper saying that I would never say a thing about us having a kid. When I took my break to have Sarah, they came up with a storyline about my character having TB and sent her off to a sanitarium and she was there for months and months. Then when I got back, I was mad at you for ruining my life so I had you written off the show and hoped that I would never see you again!"

"So everything I've thought about myself all my life has been a _lie_?" Sarah got out. "My mother wasn't really your twin sister Simone who died in a car wreck? And I am _so_ sorry that I was such a burden to you that you had to ship me off and act like I didn't even exist. I hope your career was worth it."

"Sarah!" Regina yelled and ran after her as everyone stared. "Sarah, sweetheart, let me talk to you! I can explain!"

"No," Robin said firmly and held her by the shoulders. "Let her go. I don't think she wants to talk to you right now. And neither do I. You do realize that the cameras were rolling when you made that little announcement. I wonder what everyone will think of the biggest star in the world when the news gets out? Cause you know it will."

* * *

"Did you hear about Regina's big upset on set yesterday?" Zelena asked Isaac gleefully. "I had a story all set up to bring her down, but she did it herself!" She laughed gleefully. "Oh, this could _not_ have come at a better time. Nobody likes a liar, do they? Regina will be on her way out any day now! And then, the way will be cleared for me."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck," Isaac told her.

"Oh, I don't need luck," Zelena said, sitting down on his desk and pushing back her red hair. "With Regina gone, who else is going to stand in my way?"

Just then, the door burst open unexpectedly and a very perturbed Sarah strode into the room, her dark eyes flashing. "Isaac, I want you to make sure that I have no scenes with Aunt Regina. I just…after how she's tricked me, I-"

"Excuse me!" Zelena cried. "You can't just go around barging in on people's private conversations."

Sarah heard this and crossed her arms. "What I have to talk to him about is relevant to the show," she said. "And since you're probably just screwing him in a sad and pathetic attempt to upstage my aunt, what _I_ have to say is more important."

"Are you asking me to leave?" Zelena asked.

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "I'm asking you to leave. So move your ass right now or I will kick you out."

Zelena chuckled and turned to face Isaac. "Listen to her," she said. "Isn't it adorable that she's been on the show for less than a year and she thinks that she can tell me to leave?"

"Actually, she has a point," Isaac said. "Would you please leave us alone so we can discuss this whole issue with her and her mother?"

Zelena grunted as Sarah gave her a cheeky little wave and watched her storm out.

"She's something else, isn't she?" Isaac sighed.

"I think she's a deranged bitch," Sarah got out. "Now, about scenes with me and my aunt…"

"I'm sure we can manage to keep you two apart until further notice," Isaac assured her and got out a pen and some paper to make notes on.

When her wishes were granted, Sarah headed back to her dressing room and found Robin sitting in her chair.

"Well, hi there," she said.

"Hi," Robin said. "You probably are so mad at me that you don't want us to talk at all, but…"

"Why would I be mad at you about all this?" Sarah got out. "You didn't know." She paused. "Did you?"

"Oh, no," Robin shook his head. "If I had known, I would have been there, trust me."

"I do," Sarah assured him and offered him her arm. "You wanna go see Will and have a drink? Aunt Regina sees Doctor Hopper to get over stuff like this and I think I like looking at the bottom of a bottle. It's easier that way."

"Well, I don't think you should make a habit of it," Robin replied and took her arm. "But in light of the circumstances, I suppose I round of drinks wouldn't hurt either of us."


	7. Desperate Measures

"You need to stop watching this!" Tink begged Regina as they sat on her bed watching news report after news report about the secret of her and Sarah's relationship. "It's just torturing you."

"I deserve to be tortured though, don't I?" Regina said, her face covered with tears and runny mascara. "After all that I've done to my family?"

"That's it," Tink scoffed and snatched the remote out of her hand. "We're turning this off, and while you shower and dress, I'm gonna go tell Doctor Hopper that you need to see him amidst all this."

"Oh, that won't be a surprise," Regina replied. "He's been waiting since the first day I told him about it for someone in the public to find out and splash it all over the papers."

"How many people did you tell?" Tink asked.

"I just told him because it wasn't something that I wanted to get out," Regina replied. "Shouldn't that be obvious?" She lit herself a cigarette and took a couple of drags before going into the bathroom, undressing and turning on the shower.

When Tink was sure the water was running and that Regina was actually showering instead of trying to drown herself, she went and called Archie. "Have you seen the news?" She asked. "Regina needs an emergency appointment."

"Yes, I _have_ seen the news," Archie told her. "And ever since the story of what she did broke, I've been waiting by the phone for either you or her to call. Bring her right over and we'll talk about this. Just so I know, how bad is she now?"

"Well, she's not left her bed since the story came out, and she won't watch anything but the news so she can hear them talking about her," Tink explained. "It's not good."

"All right," Archie sighed. "I'll set aside an extra hour then. If that's the state she's in, she'll make good use of it."

* * *

"Thank you for seeing me, Doctor Hopper," Regina told Archie as Tink ushered her into his office.

"Of course," Archie nodded. "The day you've feared has finally come. Your secret is out."

"Yes," Regina nodded. "And it's just…it's just so soul-crushing. Sarah won't talk to me and neither will Robin and I don't know what to do! I know they want me to apologize for what I did, but how can I if they won't give me a chance? Should I make them talk to me?"

"No," Archie shook his head. "I know you won't want to hear this, but the best thing you can do now is give them the time they need to process what they've learned. It's something you've carried around for years, but they didn't know until right now and that's quite a thing to deal with."

"Yeah, you're telling me!" Regina nodded. "Do you think it would make things better if I quit the soap?"

"Do you _want_ to quit?" Archie asked. "I don't think it would do any good for you to quit in the hopes of making them happy, especially if it doesn't work and all three of you are just as miserable as you are right now."

"No, I don't _want_ to quit!" Regina shook her head. "I want to stay right where I am."

"That's good to hear," Tink told her. "If you'd quit, I would have had to slap you. You're not allowed to leave. I'm not gonna spend the rest of my days writing stuff to make Zelena look good. I just can't. If you quit, I'd have to quit too."

"All right," Archie said. "Now that we've established you aren't quitting, how do you plan to handle being around Robin and Sarah on set? What will you do and not do?"

"I won't try to make Robin and Sarah be close with me before they're ready," Regina said.

"Very good," Archie nodded. "And when you see them, what _will_ you do?"

"I'll be pleasant," Regina said. "Talk about work or neutral topics like the weather. Is that right?"

"For now, that's probably your best bet," Archie nodded. "And if you keep doing that and don't push, you'll get them both back, even if it takes a while." He took her hand. "You can do this. You really can. And if you run into trouble, you know where I am."

"Thank you," Regina said and gave him a hug, and then hugged Tink too. "I don't know if I could get through all this without you two."

* * *

"So good to see you back!" Zelena cried as Regina walked onto the set the next day. Her rival gave her a hug and walked with her. "I heard about everything. What a horrible thing to have to go through. I'd understand if you wanted to leave here because of it and never come back."

"I know you do," Regina replied. "And that's precisely why I vowed to buck up and come back to work. Cause it would be the biggest mistake of my career and the life of show to leave it in your hands." She gave Zelena a smile and rested alone for a little while until Sarah came and joined her. Now was the test. "Hello," she said.

"Hello," Sarah replied and pulled out her script to look it over.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" Regina tried again.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed without looking at her. "I guess so."

They lapsed into silence and when Regina opened her mouth again, Sarah cut her off. "Look, I know you want to talk. I know you want me to look at you and tell you that I forgive you for what you did so that you can feel better, but I can't. Not yet. So please don't push me."

"I'm not trying to!" Regina protested. "I'm doing what Doctor Hopper told me to do and making small talk."

"Well, would you do me a favor and stop?" Sarah asked. "I just want to look over my lines and that's it."

"Okay," Regina nodded, feeling absolutely crushed. "I'll just leave you to it, then." She got up and after taking a few steps, bumped into Robin. "Well," she said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Yes, I work here, so bumping into me _is_ a real shock, isn't it?" Robin snapped. "I hope you haven't been pestering Sarah. You've put her through enough already. You don't need to add to it."

"Well, I'm not," Regina promised. "I talked with Doctor Hopper, he told me the same thing, and I intend to stick with it."

"Good," Robin replied. "I'm glad to hear it."

Though she knew Archie would frown on her next question, she asked, "Do you think that…given time, you and Sarah will be able to forgive me?"

"I want to," Robin told her. "And I'm sure Sarah does too, but it's not gonna happen overnight. Do you get that?"

"Yes," Regina nodded. "I do. But…but as a start, I want to say…I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was pregnant. You deserved to know and I shouldn't have kept it from you."

"No, you shouldn't have," Robin told her. "We could have been a nice little family if you'd been able to get over yourself in time."

"Yes, well…better late than never, right?" Regina asked.

"I hope so," Robin replied as the director came on set and they readied to shoot the first scenes of the day.

* * *

Zelena growled and threw a shoe at the small TV in her dressing room, cracking the screen. It was still Regina, Regina, Regina all the time. Everyone still loved her even though she'd lied and just basically been horrible. What did a person have to do to get some attention around here? Then the idea came into her head. If Regina could get attention for carrying a child, she could too, couldn't she? Yes, she could.

At the commissary, she came up to the table where Regina, Robin, and Sarah were having a very awkward lunch, gave him a kiss, and whispered in his ear, "I think I lost my scarf when I was over at your place. You think you could be a darling and find that for me? Thank you." Then, she grinned to herself and sauntered off to another table to watch what happened next.

"What is she talking about?" Sarah demanded. "What were you doing at her house?"

"I know you're mad at me," Regina added. "But this is a terrible way to show it, especially if, as you promised, there's any hope of us being a family!"

"I don't know what she's talking about!" Robin protested. "I've never invited her to my house or seen her scarf or anything! She's making it up."

"I hope so," Sarah replied as she looked back and forth between Regina and Robin. "Cause I would hate to be mad at _both_ my parents." She strode off and then Regina put a hand on Robin's arm.

"Cheer up," she tried to be encouraging. "Did you hear what she said? She called us her parents!"

"That's not all she said, though," Robin huffed.

"For what it's worth," Regina told him, "I believe you. And…I'm sorry that you have to be the latest person stomped all over in Zelena's quest to be more famous than me."

"Thank you," Robin said and gave her a quick kiss. "Thank you very much."


	8. A New Queen in Town

"Turn on the news!" Regina ordered, pushing past Will and addressing Robin who was half awake and sitting at his kitchen table, even though it was nearly afternoon . "Something has happened that you need to see before anyone can ask you about it. I just fought off a horde of reporters wanting to know my thoughts."

"What did you do to him now?" Will asked, arms crossed. "How much more do you have to put him through?" He, of course, knew every detail about what had happened, even the stuff that hadn't been in the papers or on TV because Robin had told him everything.

"It wasn't me this time," Regina said. "I swear. It's Zelena now." She turned on the TV and said, "There you go." On the entertainment news, Zelena was holding a press conference to talk about how she'd been impregnated by Robin and that as a star and a woman, she felt it had been her duty to come forward and tell her story about what had happened.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Robin groaned and threw himself into a surprised Regina's arms. "Really. Can you please explain to me just what it is that I've done to deserve all this?"

"Well, we know that in your case, it's a lie, isn't it?" Regina asked.

"Of course!" Robin nodded. "Do you _really_ think I would sleep with her?"

"I would hope not," Regina replied. "But don't get all snippy with me. I don't know your bedroom habits." She then sighed and held him. "We can't let Zelena know how rattled you are about this. The important thing is to make sure that Sarah knows none of it's true. We just started working on being a family and I won't have it ruined!"

"Good," Robin nodded. "Cause I really don't think I can handle this by myself."

"Can I do anything?" Will offered. "Want me to find this witch and mete out some justice?"

"As tempting as that is, don't," Robin said to him. "We don't want her to have proof of something that she can sell to the papers. I can just see it now: You beat her up and the next headline would be 'deadbeat father sends goon to assault innocent pregnant woman' or something like that. I'm the victim here and it needs to come across that way. What you and I need to do is go talk to Sarah and see what she thinks of this mess." He looked at Regina. "Do you think she's heard by now?" His phone rang and he looked to see who it was. "Yep, she's heard."

"What's this all over the news about you getting Zelena pregnant?" Sarah asked. "Why do you think she would make up such an unbelievable story?"

"You-you don't believe it?" Robin asked, filling with relief. "You know she's lying?"

"Yes!" Sarah said. "Were you afraid that I would think it was serious?"

"Well, yes," Robin nodded. "I mean, I hoped you wouldn't, but you never know."

Sarah growled into the phone. "I have never wanted to kill someone so much! Who does that woman think she is?"

"She's someone who wants attention, nothing more than that," Robin replied. "And while I'm very touched by your outburst on my behalf, I really think there are better ways to deal with it. Next time you see Doctor Hopper, you really should talk to him about your anger issues."

"Maybe I will," Sarah replied. "Or maybe I'll just stay angry, who knows?"

Robin got off the phone then and Regina asked, "What anger issues? Nothing to do with us, right?"

"No, it's more about Zelena now," Robin replied. "But has she always been an angry child? Or is this something that's popped up recently?"

"I'm sad to say that it's more of a recent development," Regina replied.

"Well, like I told her, have Doctor Hopper find some way to help her deal with it, would you?" Robin requested. "We don't want it to blow up in our faces and make more problems than we already have.

"Yeah," Regina nodded. "No kidding."

* * *

Over the next several days, Zelena shot to prominence on the soap with several plots being changed so that the audience could see more of her. And along with that, her campaign against Robin continued.

"You want me to tell you what's in your mail?" Will asked as he made his way into the house. "Or do you just want me to throw it all away?"

"Have you looked in the envelopes?" Robin asked. "Do you know which ones are death threats and which ones aren't?"

"Well, all of it is either death threats or bills and I figure you wouldn't want to deal with either," Will told him, a smile on his lips.

"Put the bills on the table and throw away the letters," Robin instructed. "Wasn't there _anything_ nice at all?"

"Let's see," Will answered as he flipped through the various envelopes again. "Oh!" He smiled. "I think this might be something you'll like."

Robin hesitantly took the envelope from his friend and then let out a sigh of relief when he saw his daughter's return address in the corner. "How nice," he said. He opened it and smiled as he read her brief message:

 _Keep your chin up, Dad. I love you._

 _Sarah_

"Sweet girl, isn't she?" Will remarked as Robin put her note in a special place where he could always take it out and read it when he needed to.

"Yes," Robin agreed. "She really is. I don't relish being Zelena, though. I have a feeling when Sarah gets near her, she's going to make her very sorry, even though I specifically told her not to."

"She gets that from you, you know," Will replied. "I mean, the king told you not to steal and you did it anyway cause you thought it was right. The urge to help the downtrodden in the face of an overpowering evil. She has to avenge you. It's in her blood."

"That's not me, that's my character on the soap," Robin reminded him. "Why do you always get them confused?"

"Because you're such a good actor," Will replied.

"Thank you for thinking that," Robin told him. "It's nice to know that at least _someone_ does in all this mess."

"What do you _mean_ you won't do anything to stop what Zelena is doing?" Regina raged at Isaac after she told him of how Zelena had been harassing Robin and how her histrionics had encouraged her fans to do the same. "You can't just let her get away with it! You're rewarding her for being a-a-a total monster who's stopping at nothing to ruin a man's life and advance her own career."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "You _do_ realize how you sound considering what we just found out about you, right?" He asked.

"Yes, but at least I can admit I was wrong," Regina replied. "And for another thing, I was actually pregnant! Zelena's just making it up. Robin is adamant that he didn't sleep with her, so she has to be lying."

"Actually she's not," Isaac replied. "She showed me the pregnancy test herself, and there was no question it was positive."

"I don't believe that!" Regina shook her head. "Something fishy is going on here. I don't know what it is, but I know there's something."

"And the men upstairs have told me to keep going with Zelena's storylines," Isaac continued. "She's popular. We're getting all sorts of letters. Ratings are through the roof! We can't quit it now!"

Regina shook her head. "I thought that's what you would say. I hoped you wouldn't, but I was prepared. And I just want you to know that as bad as what I did to Robin was, what you and Zelena are doing to him is worse."

"It's nothing personal," Isaac told her. "It's just business."

"How you could expect any of this to _not_ be taken personally, I have no idea," Regina told him, and stormed out of his office, slamming the door behind her.

A few minutes later, there was another knock and Zelena came in, sitting on Isaac's desk. "Well, that was quite the tantrum Regina threw, wasn't it?" She asked.

"Yes, but I have to wonder if she has a point," Isaac replied. "How long are you going to let this go on? You know perfectly well that the baby is mine and not Robin's. What are you trying to accomplish?"

"Exactly what's going on right now," Zelena replied and put a hand on her belly. "This little one is making me a star. And thank you so much for your help, by the way. You know I couldn't have done it without you."

"You know I don't mind," Isaac told her. "But you should also know that this isn't gonna go on forever. Soon your belly will be obvious. What you can do will be restricted. And when you go on maternity leave, well…let's hope you love that child enough that it'll be a comfort after Regina has to pick up the slack as you bond with it."

"They wouldn't do that to me," Zelena gasped. "Would they?"

"I'm not saying it's a guarantee," Isaac replied. "But it's a possibility. And playing coma or brain tumor is a hell of a lot less interesting than what they've got you doing now, that's for sure."

* * *

A few days later, Regina and Sarah were at Doctor Hopper's with Tink again.

"Okay," Regina told her friend. "Explain to Archie what's been going on at work."

"I just…you know Zelena's popular, don't you?" Tink asked him. "Do you watch the show?"

"I know my way around it well enough," Archie nodded. "You and the others do marvelous work."

"Thanks," Tink replied. "But I just…I'm at the end of my rope! I can't work like this anymore! Regina's been pushed aside and everything that I write is for…" her mouth twisted. "Zelena."

"And I can see very clearly that that makes you angry," Archie noted as he wrote on his pad.

"Yes, it does, damn it!" Tink cried, every muscle in her body clenching. "I don't want to write "A" list material for someone like her! I want to write her in a coma and then have her out of the show! That's all I want."

Archie went to his closet of stuff and pulled out a bobo doll. It was about five feet tall, inflated, and designed to look like a clown. It was also weighted so that whenever you punched it, it would just bounce right back. "Hit it," he instructed her. "It will make you feel better."

"Oh, with pleasure," Tink grinned and began punching the doll furiously. It bounced back and forth and finally, Archie put a hand on her shoulder. "Do you feel any better?" He asked.

"Yeah," Tink panted. "I think I do. At least for now, anyway. It probably won't last forever, but thanks."

"You're welcome," Archie told her and then he eyed both Sarah and Regina. "Either of you need a turn?"

"No, but it probably wouldn't hurt to buy one for my dad," Sarah told him, having made peace in her own way with her anger. "Where can we get one of those?"

 **And to last chapter's anonymous reviewer, I am so gratified to hear that you enjoy the chapter, and it means a lot that you took the time to review and tell me so. Thank you so much!**


	9. The Last Straw

"Now are you sure you want to move in here full time?" Will asked Robin as he helped him bring his stuff to Regina's apartment. "If you ask me, I would rather movie in with Sarah."

"Oh, Regina's not so bad," Robin told him. "She's improved a lot. And she's stuck by me through this whole mess. That should count for something."

They opened the door with the key Regina had given Robin and were a bit surprised to see that the lights in the apartment were off. "You did tell her that we were coming at one, right?" Will asked.

"Yes, of course," Robin nodded. "Isn't it strange that she's not here? Usually she's so good with schedules and things like that."

"Do you think she'd mind if we turned on the lights and went in so I could put this box on the sofa?" Will questioned. "My arms are starting to ache."

"Oh, right," Robin said and turned on the light.

Then they heard "Surprise!" and saw Regina and Sarah standing in front of a table with cake and treats on it, and Tink and Archie standing behind them.

"What's this?" Robin questioned as he and Will put the box on the couch.

"We just thought we'd throw you a little 'Welcome to your new home' party," Regina told him as he kissed her. "I know it's not very big, but I hope you like it?"

"I love it," Robin smiled as he hugged her and then Sarah. "Thank you, all of you."

"Hey, a little help here, Robin?" Will asked from behind another pile of boxes. "You remember what you packed in here? You can't expect me to handle it all on my own."

"I'll help you, Will," Sarah said agreeably. "The sooner we get you unpacked, the sooner we can have cake!"

"All right!" Will told her. "That sounds good to me!"

With that as an incentive, between Will, Sarah, and Robin, the unpacking of his stuff was soon finished and Archie was helping Regina cut some cake.

"I'm sorry if this isn't the kind you like," Regina apologized. "But since it was a surprise party, I couldn't really ask for your favorite flavor."

"I was gonna ask, but she wouldn't let me," Sarah explained. "She thinks that because she's terrible at subterfuge, I am too, and she didn't want to take the chance."

"I really have no problem at all with this kind," he said, taking a bite of the piece of cake Tink had handed him. It was marble with chocolate frosting. "It's actually the kind I like best."

"I'm surprised you didn't know that," Sarah said to Regina. "Since you dated before and all."

"Well, when we were first together, I had better things to do than eat cake," Regina told her. "It would have ruined my image if I did." She sighed. "But you wouldn't believe how much my careful diet plan was ruined when I was pregnant with you." She shuddered. "Thank goodness I was off the soap by the time I got really big. Having people see me on the screen then would have been an absolute disaster."

"That being said, this is gonna sound like a really stupid question that I already know the answer to but…you wouldn't have any pictures from when you were pregnant with me, would you?" Sarah asked. "And if so, can I see them?" And when Regina's face twisted a little, she said, "Don't tell me you got rid of them!"

"She didn't," Tink assured her. "She gave them all to me. Of course, that was only _after_ I convinced her that a situation like this would pop up some day and she would have a tough time explaining to her future offspring where the pictures went if she burned them."

"So they're at your house?" Sarah asked.

"Would you mind getting them?" Robin requested. "If it's not too much of an imposition."

"No, of course not," Tink smiled. "Wait here, and I'll be back in a flash."

After Tink returned with the boxes of pictures and other stuff that Regina had put away all those years ago so she could focus on her career and not be reminded of the child she hadn't exactly been ready for, the rest of the party was spent with everyone looking the stuff over. Well, everyone except Will, who declined a chance to walk down memory lane and decided to stay with the cake instead.

"Wouldn't want it to go to waste," he told them.

As they looked through some of Sarah's old baby clothes, she remarked, "You know, this stuff is in really good shape. It's kind of a shame that it's just sitting at Tink's and gathering dust."

"Well, what else do you think could be done with it all?" Regina questioned. "Do you think we should give it to some poor people or something?"

"No, I think that the next time we see Zelena, we could ask her if she wants it," Sarah replied. "She's expecting a kid. She'll need it."

"Oh, now really," Regina huffed. "Why would we want to help her? She's ruining your father's life for her own personal gain."

"Yes, but if we act like the bigger people, who'll come out on top?" Sarah asked. "Plus, us being nice to her will really throw her off balance and the suspicion about our motives could drive her out of her mind! Kill her with kindness. That's the way I think we should go."

"Well, since it's your father's reputation she's ruining, I think we should ask him before we start being nice to her," Regina told Sarah. She turned to Robin. "So…what do you think?"

Robin sighed. "Well, I can't say I'm at all happy with what she did, but I don't see the point of throwing it in her face now. I don't see what making her suffer would do. Go be nice to her if you want. It doesn't bother me."

* * *

"Zelena, hello!" Regina and Sarah greeted their co-star early the next morning. "How are you?"

"Good," Zelena replied. "But what's it to you?"

"Well, we know you're expecting and we just want to see how that's going," Regina told her. "I've been through it myself and it's really no picnic, is it?"

"No, I-I didn't sleep well last night," Zelena admitted with a big yawn. "And I don't feel well so the thought of getting up so early and having to say all those lines under all the hot lights, standing on my feet for all those hours…"

"There is a very easy way to fix that," Regina told her. "I'll say your lines and then you can go home and rest."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Zelena shook her head. "That's all this generosity is about, isn't it?" She asked. "You just want me to rest up so you can steal my spot!"

"Well, it was my mom's spot first, you bitch!" Sarah yelled. "And since I know it wasn't my dad, who the hell did you convince to be the father of your baby? Who would be so desperate for fame that they would get with a lunatic like you?"

Zelena smiled. "Someone very important," she said. "Someone who won't be so happy when they find out what you're doing." She turned to go and Sarah told her, "Wait a minute. Even though we hate you and wish you every kind of ill imaginable, have these old baby clothes." She hefted the box and held it out. "We don't know what to do with them so you might as well take them."

"Well, thanks," Zelena replied. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Regina told her. "You've already said enough. Don't say anything more."

* * *

Later that day, Isaac was called up to Mr. Gold's office.

"Hello, sir," he said, clearing his throat as he made his way into the inner sanctum of the head of the network. "You…you wanted to speak with me?"

"Sit down, sit down," Mr. Gold told him. "Then we can talk about what you've been doing with True Love's Kiss lately."

"What do you want to talk about?" Isaac asked nervously.

"Well, I wonder about this plotline of yours that's been so Zelena-heavy," Gold told him. "I had no idea she was even that popular. Now she's got more screen time than anyone, but from what I see, the only positive letters we have about her plot are from a small but very loud minority who think that even though her purpose is to be a villain, she should just have the best of everything. That she should be happy and that Regina should be in the background. We have even _more_ letters asking where the Regina and Robin storyline with Sarah went. Could you tell me what's led to this very expensive and unbelievably trite storyline that I'm not enjoying one bit? It's expensive and depressing. Those are words I don't like, Isaac. You know what words I _do_ like? I like the word peppy and Iike the word cheap. Peppy and cheap. Do you understand? You wouldn't happen to be doing this for Zelena in return for some favors that she provided for you, would you?" He asked. "Cause you know I frown on that, Isaac. You know that if I were to find out that you and Zelena were having an affair and that affair sabotaged my show and ruined the careers of many talented people just so you could have the attention of the woman you fantasize about when you're alone in the shower…then I just might have to fire you."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, sir," Isaac told him. "I'm ready to be honest. I—I had an affair with her. She's pregnant with my baby. And yes…yes, yes this whole plot was done because she told me she would sleep with me if I made her the star and pushed Regina and the others into the background!"

"There, now that wasn't so hard to admit, was it?" His boss asked. "Do you feel better now?"

"Well, once my heart stops racing, I might," Isaac told him. "You're not _really_ gonna fire me, are you?"

"No," Mr. Gold shook his head, a grin on his lips. "I have something else in mind that will stop you from doing this again much faster than any firing ever could. And you _will_ do it. Otherwise, you _will_ be fired and it'll be hard for you to support your child if you don't have a job."

"All right," Isaac nodded. "Whatever you say, I'll do it."

* * *

"A _coma!_ " Zelena screeched when she got the script. "Why the hell am I in a coma, you sniveling little weasel?"

"I had to do it!" Isaac told her. "Mr. Gold found out about us somehow, and he threatened to fire me if I didn't make Regina and Robin's storyline more prominent again, and I wouldn't have been able to support our baby if I was fired, now would I?" He then pulled a ring from his pocket and held it out to her. "Will you marry me?"

"No, I will _not_ marry you!" Zelena said. "I most certainly will not." She paused. "You think if I had a chat with this Mr. Gold, he'd see reason?"

"No, he probably would just throw you out on your butt a lot faster," Isaac replied. "I'd stay away from him if I were you."

Zelena then scoffed at him, stomped the ring that he'd spent several months' salary on into the dirt, and strode off, leaving Isaac alone. He was hurt at first, then he got an idea. After the writers' meeting that day, he called a press conference. He had something to tell the world about who was _really_ the father of Zelena's baby.

* * *

"Go back to the beginning so we can watch it again!" Sarah begged of Will as they all watched Isaac's press conference that had been recorded. Between that and the apology phone calls that had been coming in, Robin was having a very good day.

"How does it feel to be exonerated?" Regina asked Robin as he kissed her hair. "Very good, I would think."

"Oh definitely," Robin nodded. "It's a big weight off my chest. And I have to thank all of you for sticking with me through that whole mess."

"Well, why wouldn't we, mate?" Will asked. "You're the best friend, father, and significant other a person could ask for."

"Am I?" Robin asked Regina and Sarah.

"Yes," Regina and Sarah said at the same time.

Then the phone rang and when Regina picked it up, she had to hold it away from her ear to save her hearing from Tink's gleeful shrieking. "I don't have to write for Zelena anymore!" She crowed. "Except for her coma scene! Oh, this is the best day!"

"We're celebrating over here too," Regina told her. "Why don't you join us?"

Soon Tink had joined them, and as they settled down to order some celebratory pizza, the doorbell rang again. "You think that's Archie?" Sarah asked as she got up. "Mom, did you invite him?"

"No," Regina shook her head. "But I don't know who else it would be?"

Sarah opened the door and gasped when she saw who was on the other side. "Hi," she said. "You're the head of the network. You're Mr. Gold!"

"Yes, I am," he grinned. "May I come inside?"

"Oh, sure," Sarah nodded. "Please, come in and have a seat." Once he was sitting, she took a bag he'd been carrying and looked inside. "What's the wine for?" She asked.

"It's to celebrate the fact that you three are returning to prominence on True Love's Kiss," Mr. Gold told her. "You've done a lot of good for the show and I want it to stay that way. So…a toast to the three best people I could have hired?"

"Sure," Sarah nodded and poured everyone a glass, and then they toasted as the recording of Isaac's press conference played over and over again.

 **And to my binge-reading anon reviewer: thank you so much for the review and I am so glad you love this story. I hope you like this chapter too.**


	10. Epilogue

The next time the daytime awards came around, things were a bit different for the stars of _True Love's Kiss_. Different and yet, the same.

"Do you have the list of people who are nominated for the awards?" Regina asked Tink. "Who's nominated? I hope it's all of us!"

"Yep," Tink smiled, hugging her then stepping back to let her, Robin, and Sarah have a group hug. "I just hope you'll be well enough to get through the show. You should really see a doctor cause you've been feeling sick for quite some time, haven't you?"

"Yes," Robin nodded and looked at Regina with concern. "I've noticed that too." He looked knowingly at Tink. "I insisted that she call a doctor, but she won't listen to me."

"It's cause I know I'm not sick!" Regina told him. "At least not in some big way that will require a big trip to the doctor."

"What's wrong with you?" Robin asked. "If you know what's wrong, please tell me so I don't worry."

"Well, all right," Regina told him. "I was going to tell you over dinner tonight, but since you're worried, I'm going to tell you now." She turned to face Sarah. "I'm surprised _you_ never told him."

"You told me not to," Sarah replied. "Why would I ignore that?"

"Will someone just tell me what's going on so I know to worry or not?" Robin begged. "Please?"

"All right," Regina said, looking in his eyes as she put her hands on his shoulders. "Don't freak out, please, but…I'm pregnant."

Robin paused and his jaw dropped. "You…you're _what?_ "

"I'm pregnant," Regina repeated. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yes!" Robin replied after he backed up and sat down on her sofa. "I-I can't believe I'm gonna be a parent again."

Sarah sat down next to him. "I bet it's good to know from the beginning this time, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Robin nodded. "It's…it's wonderful! An award and a child all in the same day. It's so…it's really overwhelming." He paused and put a hand on Sarah's face. "Don't worry," he assured her. "I won't leave you behind when the new child comes. I'll make time for both of you."

"I didn't think you would do anything else," Sarah replied. "Trust me. I'm just as happy about this as you are."

They group hugged again and then there was a knock at the door that was someone coming to alert everyone that they were needed on set.

"You're not gonna have me written out of the show again for this, are you?" Robin asked.  
"You better not." His voice was light though, and he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"Don't worry," Regina said. "I suppose you can stay where you are this time." She was in a wonderful mood. Not just because of her upcoming award and the ones that would be given to her family. There was something else, too.

"Do I have to keep being in this coma?" Zelena whined when they reached the set. "Can't I just magically heal or something? Stuff like that happens all the time!"

"No!" The director replied flatly. "Get in the bed, Zelena."

"Fine," she scowled and got in the bed as Regina and Robin stood on either side of it while Sarah sat on a chair at the foot of the bed.

"All right, places…and action!" The director called.

"How much longer should we keep her in that coma?" Regina asked. "She doesn't seem to be coming out of it. Does she have any family that we can call?"

"No," Robin shook his head. "The closest thing she has in terms of family is the people at this hospital. And I…I think that it's pointless to keep her like this when it doesn't seem to be doing any good."

"You don't mean…?" Sarah asked, getting up. "You're not going to pull the plug on her…?"

"No, he's not!" Zelena sat up dramatically. "Because I am _alive_!"

"Oh no!" Robin cried and pushed her back down, and putting his weight on her so she couldn't disrupt the scene again.

"What was that?" Regina asked, not missing a beat. "Do you think she's really all right?"

"No, as much as we might wish that she was with us, there have been cases where it seems like coma patients wake up, but it's really just…nothing." He then looked down into Zelena's face. "Now it's time to say goodbye," He told her. "We can't let the suffering go on any longer." He pulled the plug, she flatlined, and then the director yelled 'Cut'.

"I think we need to do that again," Zelena said, sitting up. "I didn't like how that went."

"You're dead," Sarah told her gleefully, her dark eyes sparkling. "Nobody cares!"

"Well, that's a bit harsh to say," Zelena's lip curled. "Regina, do something about your daughter."

"No," Regina shook her head. "I really don't think I want to." She paused. "Did you hear that Sarah, Robin and I are _all_ nominated for awards this year?" She asked. "Shame they didn't come up with anything for you before you were booted from this show and never seen again."

"Now, now," Robin said. "Let's be civil. It's not nice to gloat."

"It might not be nice, but it's fun," Regina told him. "Just let me do a little more and then I'll be done."

"No, we're stopping now," Robin replied just as Tink came to tell them that Mr. Gold was throwing them a party to celebrate their award nominations.

"See now?" Robin said. "Isn't that a better way to spend our time than mocking someone and rubbing the fact that we're winning in their face?"

"No," Sarah and Regina said at the same time. But they relented and went with Robin to the party where they ate cake, drank champagne (or sparkling cider in Regina's case) and celebrated the nominations that would hopefully lead to more little statues in the display case at Regina's apartment on awards show night. Or not hopefully, _certainly_.

* * *

"All right, Sarah, you're up!" Regina smiled on Awards night as she held her daughter's hand when it was time to present the award she was nominated for. "You're gonna get this, I just know it!"

"Oh, I hope so," Sarah replied as the presenter announced the nominees for best supporting actress in a daytime drama. "You and Dad both won. If I don't, I'm gonna feel terrible."

"You shouldn't," Robin told her. "I didn't win anything the first time I was nominated. Of course I _do_ hope you win, but you shouldn't feel bad if you don't. We aren't going to stop loving you or anything like that."

Regina and Robin then took Sarah's hands and they watched the presenter with bated breath.

"And the award for best supporting actress in a daytime drama goes to…Sarah Mills, from _True Love's Kiss_!"

Sarah became overwhelmed with emotion as both her parents and Tink hugged her and then Regina gave her a push toward the stage. "Go on," she encouraged. "You can do it!"

Sarah made her way to the stage, then tripped on her way up the stairs, struggled to get up cause her heel was caught in her skirt, and when she finally got her award, her face was bright red.

"I bet that was quite a show," she said and held up her trophy. "I just…I want to thank the cast and crew of _True Love's Kiss_ for embracing me so readily and making me feel welcome. I'd like to thank the most devoted fans in the world for giving us a reason to get up and come to work every day, and last but not least, I'd like to thank my parents for…" her voice broke. "For being there for me, and for sharing this wonderful journey cause it wouldn't be the same without you. Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much!" She then did a better job getting off the stage than she had getting on it.

After the awards, the reporters shouted congratulations and asked how they were gonna celebrate their awards. With some big fancy after party?

"No," Regina smiled as she stood in front of a microphone. "We're gonna have some cake at my friend Tink's house. Celebrate a little, then switch gears a bit. She's throwing me a baby shower. I'm pregnant again."

There was a gasp from the assembled reporters as Regina smiled and stepped away from the microphone and went with Robin and Sarah to the waiting limo.

"That was nicely handled," Robin complimented.

"Thank you," Regina smiled. "I thought it was too."

"To Miss Bell's?" Asked the driver.

"Yes, Robert," Regina nodded and snugged against Robin as Sarah snuggled against _her_. "To Miss Bell's house."

 **The End**

 **A/N: Thank you everyone for supporting this story. It has overwhelmed me, truly, cause I wasn't expecting it. And if you're sad about this ending, I have another OQ story in my head, so there'll be more, don't worry.**


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